D&C 124 Quotes and Notes

Historical Background

Casey Paul Griffiths^[1]Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute. Accessed 9.20.21. provides background for this section:

Following their forced exodus from Missouri, the Latter-day Saints regrouped in Illinois as refugees on the banks of the Mississippi River. Joseph Smith and his companions were freed from their captivity in Liberty Jail on April 16, 1839, and joined the Saints a few days later.^[2]Often, the question arises, “How did Joseph become free from Liberty Jail? Who freed these men?” This question is an important one and one that takes some work to unravel. When Joseph Smith … Continue reading Dimick Huntington, who was at the docks when Joseph Smith arrived, later vividly described Joseph’s appearance after months of confinement in Liberty Jail. The Prophet “was dressed in an old pair of boots, full of holes, pants torn [and] tucked inside of boots.” He “had not been shaved for some time” and wore a “blue cloak with collar turned up, wide brim black hat, rim sopped down.” Huntington finished his description by adding that Joseph “looked pale and haggard.”^[3]Quoted in Anthony Sweat, Repicturing the Restoration, 2020, 134–35. In many ways, the Prophet’s gaunt appearance was a metaphor for the state of the Church after the trials of Missouri. Most Church members lost nearly everything, and the future was uncertain.

Joseph Smith and other Church leaders moved quickly to find a new gathering place for the Saints. The citizens of Quincy, Illinois, offered temporary refuge and relief from the persecutions of Missouri while Church leaders began looking at available land nearby for a new home. After viewing properties in Lee County, Iowa, and Hancock County, Illinois, Church agents purchased thousands of acres of land in both counties for a new headquarters for the Church^[4]Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1985, 242. and laid out a new city on a peninsula that jutted into the Mississippi River. Commerce, as it was then known, was mostly malarial swampland. Willard Richards later wrote that “there were 1 stone house[,] 3 frame hou[s]es & two block hou[s]es which constitu[t]ed the whole city of Commerce . . . the place was literally a wilderness.”^[5]“Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 19 January 1841 [D&C 124], fn. 2, JSP. However, the Saints saw the location with an eye of faith. In April 1840 the name was officially changed to Nauvoo, a Hebrew word meaning “beautiful.” Nauvoo served as Church headquarters from 1839–46.^[6]“Nauvoo, Illinois,” reference material, JSP. See also Letterbook 2, p. 135, JSP.

Doctrine and Covenants 124 was received nearly two years after Joseph Smith and his companions escaped from Liberty Jail. We know little about the specific context of the revelation, but it was received only a few days after the state of Illinois passed an act to officially incorporate the city of Nauvoo.^[7]Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840, p. 286, JSP. Thus, Doctrine and Covenants 124 acts in many ways as a spiritual charter for the city of Nauvoo. The revelation also served as a set of instructions for reconstructing the Church after the heavy toll exacted by the Kirtland apostasy and the Missouri persecutions. The revelation affirms the importance of the gathering (verse 2) and the centrality of the temple in the spiritual life of the Saints (verses 45–55). It includes directions for reorganizing many of the leading quorums of the Church and for calling new leaders to replace those lost to death or apostasy (verses 84–145). It also contains the first reference in the Doctrine and Covenants to the practice of proxy baptisms for the deceased (verses 37–44). Joseph Smith worked to fulfill the commandments given in this revelation for nearly every waking moment of his life until his death in June 1844.^[8]Cook, Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 243.

Doctrine and Covenants 124 also marks the beginning of the Nauvoo period in the history of the Church, a time ripe with change and controversy. Many of the crowning doctrines and practices of the Church came through revelation during this time. The Nauvoo era is filled with some of the most exciting and most tragic moments in the history of the Church. Doctrine and Covenants 124 was read in the April 1844 general conference of the Church. It was also published in the Church’s Nauvoo newspaper, Times and Seasons, as well as in the September 1841 issue of the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, the Church’s newspaper in England.^[9]“Minutes of the General Conference,” Times and Seasons, Apr. 15, 1841, 2:386; “Revelation to J. Smith,” LDS Millennial Star, Sept. 1841, 2:67–69. It was first included in the 1844 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.^[10]Robert J. Woodford, Historical Development of the Doctrine and Covenants, 1974, 3:1626.

Proclamations of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

In performance of their calling as apostles, prophets, seers, revelators, and spokesmen for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have from time to time issued formal written proclamations, declarations, letters, and various public announcements. These have been addressed sometimes to the members of the Church (as a type of general epistle) and sometimes to the public at large. All such declarations have been solemn and sacred in nature and were issued with the intent to bring forth, build up, and regulate the affairs of the Church as the kingdom of God on the earth. Subject matter has included instruction on doctrine, faith, and history; warnings of judgments to come; invitations to assist in the work; and statements of Church growth and progress.^[11]Robert J. Matthews, EOM. In this article, Matthews puts forth four documents that are recognized as proclamations. After Matthews wrote his article in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, two additional … Continue reading

D&C 124.6 For the set time has come to favor her – Jacob will take care of Jacob

Joseph Smith taught:

When still a boy He had all the intelligence necessary to enable Him to rule and govern the kingdom of the Jews, and could reason with the wisest and most profound doctors of law and divinity, and make their theories and practice to appear like folly compared with the wisdom He possessed; but He was a boy only, and lacked physical strength even to defend His own person; and was subject to cold, to hunger and to death. So it is with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; we have the revelation of Jesus, and the knowledge within us is sufficient to organize a righteous government upon the earth, and to give universal peace to all mankind, if they would receive it, but we lack the physical strength, as did our Savior when a child, to defend our principles, and we have a necessity to be afflicted, persecuted and smitten, and to bear it patiently until Jacob is of age, then he will take care of himself.^[12]Joseph Smith, HC, 6:608; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 392, emphasis added.

D&C 124.19 The Fallen

David Patten, Edward Partridge, and Joseph Smith Sr., named in this verse, had all died. David Patten died on 25 October 1838, at Crooked River, Missouri (see D&C 116), Bishop Edward Partridge died in Nauvoo on 27 December 1840, and Father Smith died in Nauvoo on 14 September 1840. This verse was undoubtedly reassuring to the families of these men and the Saints generally, as it indicated that these brethren were accepted before God and enjoying his presence.^[13]Garrett and Robinson, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Volume 4, Deseret Book, 2005.

Too Easily Obtained

I believe that our endowments are too easily obtained. Men and women go to the Temple who do not understand or value the precious blessings that are bestowed upon them…These blessings become so common that many people do not value them or know how to use them. When the Prophet Joseph first communicated that the Lord had revealed to him the keys of the endowments, I can remember the great desire there was on every hand to understand something about them. When the Prophet would speak about his desire to complete the Temple in order that he might impart unto his fellow servants that which God had delivered to him, a thrill went through the congregation and a great desire for this filled their hearts…The…people were moved with desire to complete the Temple, in order that they might receive these great blessings therein. They were valued beyond price. A man that could go in and get his endowments was looked upon as though he had received some extraordinary blessing—something akin to that which the angels received—and it was estimated and valued in that way. How is it now? There is a complete indifference, it may be said, in relation to it. Young people go there stupid, with no particular desire only to get married or go on a mission, without realizing the character of the obligations that they take upon themselves, or the covenants that they make, and the promises involved in the taking of these covenants. The result is, hundreds among us go to the House of the Lord and receive these blessings and come away without having any particular impression made upon them. I think that this is deplorable. When men have gifts and blessings bestowed upon them and they do not value them, they become a cause of condemnation rather than blessing.^[14]George Q. Cannon, Collected Discourses, 4:13, Jan. 14, 1894.

124.20-21 George Miller

The Lord described George Miller at this time as a man without guile, one who could be trusted because of his integrity. Later, however, George Miller changed. He became an important figure in Nauvoo, serving as trustee-in-trust for the Church and a bishop, “like unto” Bishop Partridge (v. 21). He also supervised the obtaining of timber from Wisconsin for the building of the temple. He served with the Saints after the death of Joseph Smith and traveled with them to Winter Quarters. There he rejected the leadership of Brigham Young in 1847 and was excommunicated from the Church on 3 December 1848. He journeyed to Texas and joined with Lyman Wight and other apostates. He soon became dissatisfied with Wight and moved to Michigan, joining with James J. Strang. He served several missions for the Strangite movement, including a mission to Texas in a failed effort to reclaim Wight. After Strang’s death, Wight proceeded toward California but died en route, in Meringo, Illinois, in 1856.^[15]Garrett and Robinson.

D&C 124.22-24, 60-82 The Nauvoo House

This phrase refers to the building of the Nauvoo House, a boarding house for visitors and travelers. To pay for the cost of the house, plans were made to sell shares of stock to finance the construction of the building. Joseph Smith donated the land on which the house was to be built, and in return he and his descendants were to receive rooms in the hotel for their use (see v. 59). Verses 60–82 command several brethren to purchase stock in this house. With its position on a bend in the Mississippi River, the Nauvoo House would be a place where “strangers” from afar could lodge and where the “weary traveler may find health and safety while he shall contemplate the word of the Lord” (v. 23). Travelers could there receive “counsel from those whom I have set to be as plants of renown, and as watchmen upon her walls” (v. 61). Therefore, the command was given to keep the house “holy” (v. 24).^[16]Ibid.

The Nauvoo House was started in the fall of 1841, but progress was slow, and the house, as originally planned, was never completed. The labors of the Saints focused on the temple, and at first, funding was not available for the house. After the Prophet’s death, the deed of the Nauvoo House was transferred to Emma Smith. By 1846 the walls reached the level of the second floor. After Emma married Lewis Bidamon, Bidamon used part of the uncompleted building to build a two-story home, known as the Riverside Mansion, on the southwest corner of the lot. The home built and lived in by Lewis Bidamon and Emma Smith Bidamon still stands and is owned by the Community of Christ Church.^[17]Formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Joseph Smith put a copy of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House in 1841. It was recovered by Lewis Bidamon, who gave pages of this manuscript to visitors in Nauvoo.^[18]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now owns a substantial portion of this manuscript. The bodies of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were buried under the Nauvoo House when they were brought from Carthage. They were later removed and buried in what is now the family cemetery across the street.^[19]Ibid.

Restore that which was lost^[20]I find it interesting that this idea of “that which was lost” to be also central to much of the ritual associated with Masonry. Reading through the ritual of Masonry, one cannot help but see some … Continue reading unto you – D&C 124.28

The Lord indicated in this verse that the fulness of the priesthood needed to be restored. Joseph Smith taught that the only way to receive the fulness of the priesthood was to receive it in the same way Jesus Christ did: “And that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.”^[21]Smith, History of the Church, 5:424. Elijah had restored the keys of sealing associated with the priesthood in the Kirtland Temple. The time had come for those keys to be used in behalf of all worthy Saints and their ancestors. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught some of the brethren in the upper story of his Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, “instructing them in the principles and order of the Priesthood . . . and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds.”^[22]Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 237. Nine men gathered in a sacred meeting on May 4–5, 1842, in the upstairs rooms, where they received their temple endowments from the … Continue reading

 The Prophet at another time taught: “The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fulness of the Melchizedek priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth.”^[23]Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 337. The fulness of the Priesthood can only be obtained in the temple. It can be received in no other place nor no other way.^[24]President Ezra Taft Benson, “What I hope you will teach your children about the temple,” Ensign, Aug. 1985,10.

William Clayton recorded these additional instructions from Brigham Young, while the Twelve were preparing the temple and the ordinances to be administered therein: “We have been ordained to the Melchisedeck (sic) Priesthood, which is the highest order of Priesthood, and it has many branches or offices. And those who have come in here and have received their washing and anointing will be ordained Kings and Priests, and will then have received the fullness of the Priesthood, all that can be given on earth, for Brother Joseph said he had given us all that could be given to man on earth.”^[25]George Smith, An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton, Signature Books, 1995, p. 234.

“In setting forth as much as can, with propriety, be spoken outside of the temple,” explained Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “the Lord says that ‘the fulness of the priesthood’ is received only in the temple itself. This fulness is received through washings, anointings, solemn assemblies, oracles in holy places, conversations, ordinances, endowments, and sealings. (D&C 124:40.) It is in the temple that we enter into the patriarchal order, the order of priesthood that bears the name ‘the new and everlasting covenant of marriage'”^[26]Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness to the Articles of Faith, Deseret Book, 1985, 315.

Build a House unto me – D&C 124.31

Once again, as the Lord has previously done in Kirtland, Independence, and in Far West, the Saints are commanded to build a temple in order that they may be endowed with power from on high, that their “baptisms shall be acceptable” to the Lord. Before the Nauvoo temple was completed, the baptismal font for the dead was dedicated by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Concerning these verses Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “In the months when the saints were without a Temple the Lord granted them the privilege of baptizing for their dead in the Mississippi River, but with the understanding that this was a special privilege which would end when they had been given sufficient time to prepare a place in the Temple where this ordinance could be performed. For baptism for the dead, as well as other ordinances for the dead, are to be performed in a house built to the name of the Lord and for that holy purpose. Therefore we find the members of the Church engaging in baptisms for the dead in the river from the time the privilege was granted until the time arrived when the font in the house of the Lord was prepared for that ordinance, and when that time arrived all baptisms for the dead in the river ceased by divine command. The Lord said:

“And if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God” (D&C 124.32).

“And if ye do not these things at the end of the appointment [v. 32], obviously does not mean ‘if ye do not build a temple at the end of the appointment,’ as our critics infer it does, but it refers to the ordinances that were to be performed in the Temple, and the failure on the part of the Saints to perform these ordinances for their dead was the thing that would cause their rejection with their dead, and not the failure to build the Temple, which was merely the edifice in which the saving principles were to be performed. This is in harmony with the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who said that if we neglect the salvation of our dead, we do it at the peril of our own salvation! Why? Because we without them cannot be made perfect [D&C 128:15].”^[27]Revelations of the Restoration, see also Doxey, Latter-day Prophets, 4:265-66.

A Baptismal font there is not upon the earth – D&C 124.29-36

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught, “So important did the Lord consider baptisms for the dead that he authorized the Saints to be baptized for their dead in the Mississippi River, until a place could be provided in his house for this purpose. He further said he would give them sufficient time to build such a house, and while they were doing so, their baptisms for their dead would be acceptable to him if performed in the river, but after a place was prepared, then all baptisms for the dead in the river must cease, for this ordinance as well as other ordinances for the dead properly belongs to the house of the Lord. This revelation was given January 19, 1841, and from that time until the October conference of the Church in 1841, the baptisms in the river were accepted. At the conference in October, the Prophet announced that the time had come to discontinue that practice, and from that time forth baptisms for the dead must be performed in the temple. Though the temple was not finished at that time, it had in the six months progressed far enough so that the basement could be enclosed, and in the basement a font had been built and dedicated, so that early in November, 1841, under the direction of the Prophet Joseph, baptisms for the dead commenced in the house of the Lord.”^[28]Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 4:81; see also D&C 127; 128.

George Q. Cannon taught:

“I believe that our endowments are too easily obtained. Men and women go to the Temple who do not understand or value the precious blessings that are bestowed upon them…These blessings become so common that many people do not value them or know how to use them. When the Prophet Joseph first communicated that the Lord had revealed to him the keys of the endowments, I can remember the great desire there was on every hand to understand something about them. When the Prophet would speak about his desire to complete the Temple in order that he might impart unto his fellow servants that which God had delivered to him, a thrill went through the congregation and a great desire for this filled their hearts…The…people were moved with desire to complete the Temple, in order that they might receive these great blessings therein. They were valued beyond price. A man that could go in and get his endowments was looked upon as though he had received some extraordinary blessing—something akin to that which the angels received—and it was estimated and valued in that way. How is it now? There is a complete indifference, it may be said, in relation to it. Young people go there stupid, with no particular desire only to get married or go on a mission, without realizing the character of the obligations that they take upon themselves, or the covenants that they make, and the promises involved in the taking of these covenants. The result is, hundreds among us go to the House of the Lord and receive these blessings and come away without having any particular impression made upon them. I think that this is deplorable. When men have gifts and blessings bestowed upon them and they do not value them, they become a cause of condemnation rather than blessing.”^[29]George Q. Cannon, Collected Discourses, 4:13, Jan. 14, 1894, emphasis added.

Elder David A. Bednar’s quotes shared in the podcast come from his April 2019 address. He quoted President Benson when he said:

“The temple is a sacred place, and the ordinances in the temple are of a sacred character. Because of its sacredness we are sometimes reluctant to say anything about the temple to our children and grandchildren. As a consequence, many do not develop a real desire to go to the temple, or when they go there, they do so without much background to prepare them for the obligations and covenants they enter into. I believe a proper understanding or background will immeasurably help prepare our youth for the temple … [and] will foster within them a desire to seek their priesthood blessings just as Abraham sought his.”^[30]Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing, April 2019.

Baptism for the dead – Historical Background

McConkie and Ostler relate the following:

The revelation on baptism for the dead came while the Twelve were laboring in the British Isles. Joseph Smith wrote to them saying: “I presume the doctrine of ‘baptism for the dead’ has ere this reached your ears, and may have raised some inquiries in your minds respecting the same. I cannot in this letter give you all the information you may desire on the subject; but aside from knowledge independent of the Bible, I would say that it was certainly practiced by the ancient churches; and St. Paul endeavors to prove the doctrine of the resurrection from the same, and says, ‘Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?’

“I first mentioned the doctrine in public when preaching the funeral sermon of Brother Seymour Brunson^[31]Susan Easton Black relates the following:  Seymour Brunson, a veteran of the war of 1812, had migrated from New York to Ohio by 1830. In Ohio he was baptized by Solomon Hancock in January 1831 … Continue reading: and have since then given general instructions in the Church on the subject. The Saints have the privilege of being baptized for those of their relatives who are dead, whom they believe would have embraced the Gospel, if they had been privileged with hearing it, and who have received the Gospel in the spirit, through the instrumentality of those who have been commissioned to preach to them while in prison.”^[32]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 179.

With the announcement of the doctrine of baptism for the dead it became apparent for the first time in this dispensation that the priesthood can be used to perform the ordinances of salvation for those who passed from this life without the opportunity to receive them. In so doing priesthood bearers act upon the same principle as that governing the atonement of Christ. In his atoning sacrifice Christ did for us that which we could not do for ourselves. So it is that in the performance of vicarious ordinances we do for others that which they were unable to do for themselves. Thus we can stand in the stead of those who died without the opportunity to be baptized in the performance of that sacred ordinance and make that covenant in their behalf. It then becomes their right to accept or reject that which was done in their behalf.^[33]Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration: A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Revelations, Deseret Book, 2000, p. 972.

Washings… Anointings… Oracles… Conversations… Statutes and Judgments – D&C 124.39

Ordinances had been administered and solemn assemblies held in the Kirtland Temple. They were placed in their proper order as part of the endowment in Nauvoo.^[34]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 974-976.

Memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi– D&C 124.39

According to the promise of Malachi and in conjunction with the authority restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by John the Baptist, the sons of Levi, as a part of the restoration of all things, are to offer again the same offering that they offered anciently.^[35]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 172-73.

You receive conversations – D&C 124.39

The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines conversation as a “familiar discourse” or as “unrestrained talk.”

Your statutes and judgments. Statutes are laws, and the covenants made in the temple include promises to keep the laws of God. Elder James E. Talmage explained: “The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King—the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions.”^[36]James E. Talmage, House of the Lord, 84.

Those who receive the endowment understand to a greater degree the justice and judgments of God according to the faithfulness given to his commandments. The judgment sought being that one is worthy and acceptable before the Lord to enter into his rest or into his presence (D&C 84:19-24).

Elder James E. Talmage further commented: “The Temple Endowment, as administered in modern temples, comprises instruction relating to the significance and sequence of past dispensations, and the importance of the present as the greatest and grandest era in human history. This course of instruction includes a recital of the most prominent events of the creative period, the condition of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience and consequent expulsion from that blissful abode, their condition in the lone and dreary world when doomed to live by labor and sweat, the plan of redemption by which the great transgression may be atoned, the period of the great apostasy, the restoration of the Gospel with all its ancient powers and privileges, the absolute and indispensable condition of personal purity and devotion to the right in present life, and a strict compliance with Gospel requirements.”^[37]House of the Lord, 83-84.

Plants of renown… watchmen upon her walls – D&C 124.61

The Greek Septuagint translation of Ezekiel 34.29 reads as follows:

καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτοῗς φυτὸν εἰρήνης καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσονται ἀπολλύμενοι λιμῷ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐνέγκωσιν ἔτι ὀνειδισμὸν ἐθνῶν.

It can be translated as:

And I will raise up a Tree of Peace for them, and no more will they be destroyed in starvation upon the earth, they also will not carry the shame of the nations.

I see this raising of the tree of peace to be a beautiful metaphor of Jesus. Even the word anastayso is tied up in the image of the resurrection in the Greek New Testament, where the word anastasis is used throughout many of the gospels as the word for resurrection.^[38]STRONGS NT 386: ἀνάστασις ἀνάστασις, -εως, ἡ, (ἀνίστημι) [from Aeschylus down]; 1. a raising up, rising (e. g. from a seat): Luke 2:34 (opposed to … Continue reading

The idea of setting these individuals up as “plants of renown” in D&C 124.61 is directly tied to a similar phrase in Ezekiel 34.29: “I will raise up for them a plant of renown”… the phrase lahem matta lishem can literally be translated as “to them a plant to the name,” referring to the idea that there is a name associated with this plant, and that this is given to them.^[39]Robert Alter translates this as “I will set up for them an esteemed planting.” (Alter, The Hebrew Bible, volume 2, W.W. Norton and Co., 2019, p. 1158.) This is an excellent translation of … Continue reading The idea of “the name” is directly associated with God, as the phrase hashem was used to denote the sacred name of Deity. Modern and ancient Jews typically speak of God in this way out of reverence for the sacred name of God. I would say that this plant in this specific verse has the name of God written upon it, and that it is Christ.

The Nauvoo House – D&C 124.62-83

George Miller, Lyman Wight, John Smith, and Peter Haws were appointed as “the quorum of the Nauvoo House” (D&C 124:119). As such they were given the responsibility to oversee the building of the boarding house for strangers that the Lord commanded to be built in Nauvoo (v. 23). Although it was to be a boarding house for strangers, the Lord revealed that the Nauvoo House was to “be built unto my name” (v. 24). It was to be a place where the weary traveler could “contemplate the word of the Lord . . . [and] the glory of Zion” (vv. 23, 60). Due to the sacred nature of the building, the Lord commanded that each individual who held stock in the Nauvoo House must be “a believer in the Book of Mormon” and the revelations given to Joseph Smith (v. 119). Those mentioned as worthy to hold stock in this sacred enterprise were Joseph Smith, Vinson Knight, Hyrum Smith, Isaac Galland, William Marks, Henry Sherwood, and William Law (vv. 56, 74, 77-78, 80-82).^[40]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 978.

D&C 124.83 – I, the Lord, have a scourge prepared

The people, both nonmembers and apostates, drove the Saints from the land of Kirtland. Therefore, a scourge was placed upon that land. It is difficult to tell exactly what the scourge was, but when the body of the Saints fled from Kirtland, the gospel, along with the prophets, priesthood keys, and their attendant blessings went with them. Hyrum Smith, writing from Nauvoo as the Patriarch of the Church, told the Saints that while they had been driven out of their houses and lands at Kirtland, “Yet your children may possess them, but not until many years shall pass away.”^[41]As quoted in Anderson, Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, 243–44. Kirtland declined in population and wealth until by 1890 only 909 individuals lived there. In 1979, Ezra Taft Benson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve, presided over the groundbreaking for a new chapel in Kirtland. During his address, he removed the scourge that had been placed on Kirtland. Since that time a stake has been organized, and the Church has returned to the area in greater force.^[42]Garrett and Robinson, volume 4.

Counsel to Sidney Rigdon – D&C 124.103-110

Like many of the Saints, Sidney Rigdon was very concerned about the poor health conditions along the Mississippi River. Despite this he remained in Nauvoo for a time in accordance with the Lord’s counsel in this revelation. At a conference held 20 August 1842, he testified that God had miraculously raised his daughter, Eliza, from the dead. Hyrum Smith, who spoke after him, “cited Elder Rigdon’s mind back to the revelation concerning him, that if he would move into the midst of the city and defend the truth, he should be healed, &c.; and showed that what Elder Rigdon felt in regard to the improvement in his health was a fulfillment of the revelation.”^[43]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 983. See also: Smith, History of the Church, 5:123. Sidney Rigdon took an active part in the founding of Nauvoo and in 1839 accompanied Joseph … Continue reading

The Quorum of the Twelve – D&C 124.127-129

The majority of the men mentioned in this section of this revelation were true to the message of the Restoration for their entire lives. John E. Page and William Smith are two exceptions. He was called to serve a mission to England with other members of the Twelve, but failed to fulfill this assignment. He then was to accompany Elder Orson Hyde to dedicate Palestine for the return of the Jews, but did not fulfill that mission either. After the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Page eventually became an advocate for the leadership of James Strang as the successor to the Prophet Joseph Smith. After his brief affiliation with James Strang’s splinter group, Page joined with James C. Brewster’s faction, and his associated with this group did not last long. By the 1850’s his connection with this group came to an end and John Page was working on a farm in Illinois, preaching in another splinter group on Sundays. By 1862 he was associated with the Hendrickites,^[44]John E. Page ordained Granville Hedrick an apostle in the Hendrickite movement on May 17, 1863. See: Jean Addams, “A Spot for the Temple: Reclaiming the Temple Site in Independence, … Continue reading working to secure the land in Independence in what is called the temple lot case.^[45]Susan Easton Black, Who’s Who, p. 211-212.

William Smith, Joseph Smith’s younger brother, disconnects his association with the Church after Joseph and Hyrum’s martyrdom. He was excommunicated on 12 October 1845 for appropriating “public funds of the Church to his own private use-for publishing false and slanderous statements concerning the Church: and for a general looseness and recklessness of character which ill comported with the dignity of his high calling.”^[46]The Frontier Guardian, 6 February 1850. See also: Black, p. 302.

Standing presidents – D&C 124.134

Today the stake president presides over the high priests in the stake that he presides. In this way the stake president is a “standing officer,” meaning that he has no authority outside the boundaries of his stake (D&C 124.133-34). Clarifying the duties of high priests, John Taylor said: “It is the duty of High Priests to preside; the principle of Presidency is connected with them . . . What is the duty of that quorum? To meet together to instruct one another in regard to the principles of the government of the church and kingdom of God; that its members may understand the various organizations of the Church, the laws, and the principles of government thereof, and the various duties they may be called upon to fill; it may be to occupy the position of a President of a Stake; it may be a Counselor to the President; it may be a High Counselor; it may be a Bishop or his Counselor. There are divers positions that High Priests are called to occupy, as deaths and other changes often transpire, and new Stakes and Wards are being organized.”^[47]John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 24:33-34.

Approve of the names… or else disapprove of them – D&C 124.144

I find that once again, the Lord authorizes his servants, letting them know that they have “the power to decide,” meaning that the Lord has given them general instructions on how to run the affairs of the Kingdom, leaving it to them to work out the details. (D&C 107.79).

The Church and kingdom of God is governed by the law of common consent. Even the prophet himself cannot preside without first having received the sustaining vote of the Church. Accordingly, Church officers are selected by the Spirit of revelation as it rest upon those appointed to choose them, but before any officers may serve in the offices to which they have been called they must receive a formal sustaining vote of the people over whom they are to preside.^[48]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 986.

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